CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Veronica stiffens and pushes him away, then slaps him full on the face. "Rupert! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He blinks and lifts a hand to his face. "What? I… but you told me that you loved me. You said that you wanted me to come here so you and I could plan to run away together."

"What?" she shrieks. "Rupert, what on Earth are you talking about? Have you gone utterly mad? How dare you come to my house?"

He takes a step back. His lips begin to tremble, though I believe it's more from shock than because he's actually about to weep. "But… you texted me. You said…"

His voice trails off, and he lifts his eyes to me, seeming to see me for the first time. "You…?" he asks, his brow furrowed in confusion. "But…"

Footsteps interrupt us, and Sebastian calls, "Veronica? Is everything all right?"

He descends the stairs, followed closely by his sons. When he sees Dr. Chalmers, his brow furrows. "Rupert! What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

"I… I…" He looks around at us, his face white as a sheet.

"He was just leaving," Veronica says. "He's… he was here to see Eliza, but he'll handle whatever the issue is at the office, won't you, Rupert?"

"Nonsense," Sebastian says. "The man came all this way, and we won't turn him out. At the least, he must stay for tea. Eliza! Eliza, Dr. Chalmers is here to talk to you!"

"No!" he says quickly, putting his hands in front of him in a comical display of fear. "No, I…" He turns to Veronica. "You said you'd be alone."

"Rupert!" Veronica hisses. "Stop this! You're mad!"

"But…" He looks at me, and I smile at him. His eyes widen, and color begins to fill his cheeks. "I see," he says, regaining his composure. "It appears that I've been had."

"Had?" Sebastian says. His friendly smile is gone, replaced with a dark scowl. "Rupert, what the devil are you on about? What do you mean you're here to meet my wife alone?"

"I apologize," he says, looking up at the stairs. "I… I was mistaken. I will handle the, uh, the work thing with Eliza later."

He turns to the door, but Sebastian strides forward. "Wait a damned minute. You told Veronica that she said she'd be alone. What is the meaning of that?"

Veronica steps in between them, trying to hold Sebastian back. "Darling, please!"

"Don't darling me!" Sebastian snaps. "What's going on here?"

"Father!" Eliza shrieks. She rushes down the stairs. "Don't hurt him! Please!"

Dr. Chalmers blanches again and cries, "Don't come down, Eliza! It's a trick!"

She stops at the foot of the stairs and turns even paler than he does. "What? A… what?" She looks at me, and I smile and say, "I believe I can explain."

"Well, someone had better explain," Sebastian thunders. "I come downstairs to hear a man I consider a friend tell me he's here to meet my wife alone, and my wife lies to me and says it's over something to do with you, Eliza. Now he's telling you that it's a trick? What sort of trick? Why are you here, Doctor? Lie to me at your own peril."

"You're here to meet my mother?" Eliza says in a thready voice, her eyes locked on Dr. Chalmers.

Oliver and Lucas remain at the top of the stairs, watching the whole situation. Oliver is stunned. Lucas is less surprised but has a wary look on his face, as though he's ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. Considering the look on Eliza's face, he's right to be wary.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding," Dr. Chalmers says quickly. "Eliza, I'll see you at work. Veronica, I'm sorry. Sebastian, there's nothing to worry about, Mary—"

"What's she got to do with this?" Sebastian thunders, taking a menacing step closer. "Why are you here to meet my wife alone?"

Eliza gasps. "You said you were done with her. You said I was the only one—"

Veronica releases a cry, and her hand comes to her mouth.

"No," Rupert says. "Eliza, it's not what it looks like. It—"

"What?" Sebastian yells. "Are you sleeping with my daughter ?"

Rupert begins to tremble. "N—no. This isn't what it—"

"You bastard !" Eliza shouts.

I decide it's time I step in. "I can explain."

All eyes turn to me. Rupert's are filled with fear, Eliza's with venom, Veronica's and Sebastian's with confusion.

I take a breath and say, "I believe that Rupert Chalmers is the murderer of Minerva Montclair. And… I'm sorry to say, but I believe Eliza helped to cover it up."

Veronica releases a soft gasp. Sebastian stares blankly at me. Eliza begins to shake visibly, the color drained completely from her face.

Rupert completely falls apart. "What? That… how did you… that's…" He screws his face up in a comical approximation of anger. "That's completely preposterous!"

"It isn't," I reply. "I have proof that Eliza and Dr. Chalmers are in a romantic relationship, and I have proof that they covered up Minnie's pregnancy and then murdered her because they learned that Dr. Chalmers is the father."

Veronica shrieks and turns to Dr. Chalmers in horror. Rupert begins to splutter again. Oliver stiffens in horror and looks at Eliza. Eliza looks at me, and if she could, I know she would strike me dead on the spot.

Sebastian continues to stare blankly. "What's this now?" he asks in a slightly distracted voice.

I reach into my coat pocket and pull out the photographs. Eliza shrieks and starts toward me, but I give her a warning glance and say, "I've sent copies of all of this to the police, so don't think you can tear these from my hands and escape justice." That's a complete lie, of course, but it stops her in her tracks.

"The police?" Veronica says.

I show her the photographs. She gasps and turns to Rupert, who appears about to faint. "You… Oh, you miserable bastard ! You come here to declare your love to me, meanwhile you're shagging my daughter every morning before work."

Eliza cries out and turns to Rupert, lips trembling. "What?"

"That's right, Eliza," Veronica says, anger replacing her shock. "Your lover just walked in and kissed me and said I texted him to run away together."

Tears begin to fall from Eliza's face. "Rupert?"

"That… I…" He looks at me and releases a strained laugh. "What? You texted me, right? That wasn't Veronica at all."

"No," I admit. "I texted you from my phone pretending to be Veronica."

"You what ?" Veronica exclaims, looking at me in shock.

"I told him that you texted from my phone so no one would suspect. I told him you still loved him, and if he came here at two o'clock, the two of you would be alone and you could plan your escape."

"Why on Earth would you do that?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I truly am. I just needed him over here. Sebastian, for what it's worth, I don't believe your wife had an affair with him, at least not since before you married." I don't know that for sure, but I do know that their dalliances ended a long time ago, and Veronica is regrettably caught in the crossfire with this.

But not too regrettably. She turned a blind eye to Minnie's disappearance like the rest. I don't feel too much sympathy for her.

"This is outrageous," Rupert says. "I won't stay for—"

"You will stay right where you are, or I'll tie you to the goddamned stairs," Sebastian thunders.

Rupert pales and lowers a trembling hand from the door. Sebastian turns to me and says, "Mary, you had better be able to prove what you're saying. The evidence of my daughter's foolishness is clear, but you had better be able to show that they're responsible for Minnie's death, or I will absolutely ruin your life."

I know that's not an idle threat, and I can't suppress the shiver that runs through me. I hand him the medical report and say, "This is the office visit report where Dr. Chalmers discovered Minnie was pregnant with his child."

Rupert stiffens, and Veronica lifts her hand to her mouth. "Oh God. Oh God !"

"Is that true, Eliza?" Oliver asks. "Did you know about this?"

Eliza doesn't answer him. She continues to stare at Rupert, tears streaming down her face. "You came here for my mother ?"

"This report is completely whited out," Sebastian says. "It only has her name on it and a prescription for vitamins. Some advice to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco."

"Yes," Rupert says quickly. "What you have there is a checkup report. I make it a practice to white out personal information."

"So all of your files will look like that when the police raid your clinic?" I challenge.

He blanches. "You have no right to do that."

"The call's already been made," I say.

Veronica snatches the paper from Sebastian's hand and reads it. Her hands begin to tremble, and tears stream down her face. She looks at Rupert and says softly, "Oh, you bastard. How could you? She was only a child."

"It's a blasted checkup !" he says, trying to sound angry and succeeding in sounding frightened.

"But the date, Rupert. It was the same day she told us she was pregnant."

"Why did you tell her to pick up vitamins?" Eliza says. "You said you told her to get rid of the baby."

The whole family gasps at that statement. Rupert's jaw goes slack. "Eliza… God…"

"You asshole!" Oliver cries.

He rushes down the stairs toward Rupert, murder in his eyes. Lucas cries out and runs after his brother, tackling him at the foot of the stairs. "Oliver!" he cries out. "Stop!"

"I didn't kill her!" Rupert says, backing to the door. "I saw her leave with your cousin Alistair!"

"Liar!" Oliver shouts.

Eliza blinks and seems to realize where she is. "It's true," she says. "I haven't wanted to believe it, but I lied when I said she left the house alone. She actually left with Alistair. He offered to walk her home. I didn't think anything of it, but I saw her go with him."

Oliver stops struggling with Lucas and looks at Eliza. I take a deep breath and release it slowly. The plan has worked. The killers have sabotaged themselves. "Eliza?" Oliver whispers. "You?"

"I'm sorry, Oliver," Eliza says. "I know how much you loved Alistair."

"No," he says, shaking his head. "No, not him. You. You killed her."

She pales again. "Don't be ridiculous. I saw her leave with him. You were up in your room because you two had just fought, and—"

"No. I wasn't. I met her the day after you two fought, and I went with her to the bar. I left her waiting for a cab."

Eliza and Rupert both turn corpse-gray. "I…" Eliza stammers. "I… guess I saw her after."

"Alistair was gone," Oliver said. "He left the day before. She was alive when I left her, and I watched Alistair get on a fucking plane. But I remember you were mad at her because of the baby. I thought you were mad for me, but it wasn't about me at all. You were mad because it was his baby, and you were jealous."

"That's not true," she says. "She…" She looks at Rupert. "Damn it, she didn't deserve to have his baby."

"Oh, Eliza," Veronica says, her voice thready. "What did you do ?"

"I didn't do anything!" Eliza shrieks. "I didn't kill her?"

"Then why lie?" Oliver asks. "Why tell everyone you saw Alistair with her? And why wait to say that until now?"

"Because I didn't think I…" She catches herself and then looks at me. Her face screws up in hate. "She's lying. That's what she does. She just stuck her fat meddling bitch nose into my life, and…" She looks at Rupert and anguish fills her eyes. "My mother ? After everything ? I did everything for you. So we could have our life."

"Why?" Oliver says. "Why, Eliza? I loved her."

"Oh, she was a stupid, slutty, selfish cunt, Oliver. She thought she was going to have Rupert's baby and parade around like a proper lady , and everyone would look at how pretty she was. She didn't deserve it. Damn it, she didn't fucking deserve it! I just wanted her out of the way ! I just wanted her to give back what was mine !"

"Eliza," Rupert warns. "Enough."

"Oh, shut up!" she shouts. "You cad! My mother ? Really? After you promised to protect me!"

"Stop it!" Rupert yells.

"Enough!" Sebastian shouts.

Everyone falls silent. Sebastian takes a deep breath and asks, "Rupert, is there any more evidence that could link Eliza to Minerva's murder?"

"Sir. I swear to you—"

"I have evidence," I interrupt.

I pull the necklace I found in Rupert's office from my other pocket. "The inscription on the pendant reads M.M & R.C. A gift from you, I presume, Dr. Chalmers?"

Rupert doesn't answer, but he is shaking visibly now.

Sebastian stares coldly at me for a moment, then turns again to Rupert. "Could the police find her if they looked?"

Rupert hesitates a moment, then deflates. "No. We made sure to dispose of the body."

"Oh God," Veronica cries, burying her face in her hands and bursting into tears.

"You selfish bitch," Oliver spits at Eliza.

"Enough!" Sebastian shouts again. He takes the report and shreds it. "Rupert, you are going to retire to America. You will never be heard from again. Eliza, I will find you work with your mother's family in South Africa."

"Minnie's family lives there too," Veronica reminds him.

"And Eliza will never so much as look in their damned direction," Sebastian says. "She's had a falling out with Minnie, and her guilt is too great for her to overcome. Ever. Oliver, Eliza is your sister, and you will put this family first. You will ruin my life, your mother's, your brother's, and your own if you say a single word. The same goes for you, Lucas. Mary, we will pay you a bonus of one million pounds. You will hand me that necklace, and you will never breathe a word of this outside of this room. Lucas, you're going back to boarding school, and Mary, you'll be out of the country by this evening. I'll arrange a flight. If this ever gets to the authorities, I will make sure that you suffer for it. I will not have this family's name ruined by scandal."

"I'm sorry, Sebastian," I say. "I'm afraid word already has gotten to the authorities." I raise my voice and call, "Inspector! I believe we're ready for you."

The door to the parlor opens, and four uniformed police officers walk into the room. Sebastian takes a look at their grim faces and deflates. For the first time since I've seen him, he looks truly old.

The chief inspector announces in a coldly professional tone, "Eliza Carlton, Rupert Chalmers, you two are under arrest for the murder of Minerva Montclair."

Veronica bursts into tears. Oliver stares hatefully at his sister as she's led away. Lucas walks to his mother's side and puts his arm around her. I feel a touch of sadness for the pain I've caused them.

But mostly I feel joy. Against all odds, I've found justice for a young, na?ve but innocent girl whose future was stolen from her by people who valued their own desires above her right to life.

I've accomplished my purpose here.